In the painting of Fauvism core painter Matisse's The Dance, the colors and lines were just the passionate combination of words, reflecting the interest of coloring and the composition. The lines were the traces of dance flowing, and the color made the abstract painting cleaner. Lines and colors in Matisse were perfectly combined together and the sense of space they produced made the dancers with the free dancing posture. The five dancers collaborated with each other and the consistency of the group dancing made the dance produce the natural sense of life and the resulting joy.
The Dance
The Dance was painted during Henri Matisse's mature period. The painting depicted five female bodies that circled with hands to dance crazily. The painting was very simple, but with deep fantasy. There was neither specific circumstances nor blurring background and annoying depression, only a happy, harmonious and relaxed dance scene filled with endless strength. This painting seemed to bring people back to the primitive times where with the original wild and pristine, people tapped hand in hand and freely enjoyed the passion of life and vitality in the festival and ritual occasions besides the burning bonfire.
There were many paintings depicting dance. But there was no painting like this to be so bright and simple. The blue sky and the green earth were all the background. Strong women hand in hand and powerful dance were cut out the superfluous parts, making people feel a kind of special spiritual depth and the power of life. The characters with various gestures were full of the rhythm. The circular dance style hand in hand was full of fluid dynamic sense, publicizing the energy of life. In the wild and warm atmosphere, there was a kind of inner harmony and balance, allowing people to feel a kind of solemn and pure spiritual cultivation. This was also what the artist had been the pursuit of artistic effect. As Matisse himself said, "What I dream of is a balanced, pure and quiet art which can avoid the trouble or frustrating subjects. This kind of art gives everyone's mind peace and comfort, like a comfortable chair where they can have a rest when tired." This painting reached this artistic effect.
